October 12th 1974 - Marvel UK, 50 years ago this week.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

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This week in 1974, UK democracy finally got its bum in gear, as Britain, at last, managed to elect a government. That was all thanks to Harold Wilson's Labour Party winning the nation's second general election of the year, to become the new government with a walloping great three-seat majority in the Commons.

This meant Wilson had now won four of the five elections he'd contested as party leader.

The pinnacle of British politics may have hit fever pitch but on the UK singles chart, the pinnacle was noticeably more genteel; claimed, as it was, by John Denver with his only solo British hit Annie's Song.

More youthful activities were afoot on the LP chart, thanks to the Bay City Rollers smashing straight in at Number One with their latest album Rollin', thus toppling Mike Oldfield from the perch he'd occupied for several weeks.

I, of course, have no beef with Annie's Song but other tracks I approved of on that chart were:

Sad Sweet Dreamer - Sweet Sensation

Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas

I've Got the Music in Me - the Kiki Dee Band

Pinball - Brian Protheroe

When Will I See You Again? - the Three Degrees

What Becomes of the Brokenhearted? - Jimmy Ruffin

Gonna Make You a Star - David Essex

and

Gotta See Jane - R Dean Taylor.

Should you wish to investigate the matter in greater depth, that very singles chart can be found here.

While the accompanying album chart resides within.

The Sandman's still rampaging around that hospital and still carrying out his plan to turn himself back into sand by conducting a full blood swap with Betty Ross.

Can the Hulk stop him in time?

And if he can't, just what will be the fate of poor Betty?

I do believe Daredevil finally defeats the Owl, foils his plot to kill a judge and brings the hooting mad mischief-maker's gigantic robot owl to justice.

Speaking of things that came crashing to Earth, I do suspect Alicia's finally managed to convince the Silver Surfer that he should get on his board and go smash Galactus' gob in.

However, will it be enough?

And will he be in time to save the FF from the whirling arms of the space giant's odd little robot?

As we can all see, Man-Mountain Marko's thrown the Shocker's girlfriend out of a window, as a distraction to enable him to steal the tablet that causes nothing but trouble wherever it goes.

But what's this? Marko's boss Silvermane has kidnapped Curt Connors to work on decrypting the tablet?

Does the fool not know Connors is also the Lizard and turns into that cold-blooded causer of chaos, calamity and concern during times of cornucopian conflict?

Thinking about it, he doesn't.

Elsewhere, Iron Man's completing his battle with Captain America, having been fooled into thinking Cap's the Chameleon in disguise.

I can't help feeling that, when the heroes discover they've been suckered, it's going to be bad news for the malevolent quick-change flannel-merchant.

Thor, meanwhile, is still on his quest to retrieve his stolen hammer.

And that's taken him to the land of the trolls. 

And that's led him to another fight with Ulik - and a determination to liberate the captive alien Orikal.

For once, not hanging round waiting for an assassin to show up and murder him, Iron Fist decides to invade the office block of his deadly enemy Harold Meachum.

But it's no easy task. Like any office block, it's packed with self-firing machine guns, exploding staircases, acid sprinklers, disintegrating door frames, precipitous plunges and hired thugs!

When it comes to the Avengers, the Super-Adaptoid is back!

And I think this might be the first tale I ever read that features him.

From the depths of my memory, I recall that it sees the return of Dashing Don Heck to the strip, and a battle in central Park. One which sees Hercules become an actual ever-loving real-life official Avenger.

And he didn't even have to defeat the Hulk to do it.

Which I'm sure is not at all aggravating news to Spider-Man.

But it's time for us to celebrate because, unless I hopelessly misread the situation, Dr Strange finally manages to rescue Victoria Bentley from the clutches of Yandroth: Scientist Supreme!

And he only needs the Ancient One's help to do it.